In order to critically evaluate this article we must first understand Mintzberg’s (1987) strategy distinctions between planning strategy and crafting strategy. Planning strategies being those which are internally defined and implemented, similar to that of a blueprint (Findley, 1988). Crafting strategy is a continuous form of strategy which incorporates the learning process into the decision making. From this it is important to recognise the definition of strategy according to Mintzberg who bases his assumptions on “a pattern in a stream of decisions” (Mintzberg & Waters, 1985, p. 259). Mintzberg (1987) had found that “an organisation can have a pattern without knowing it, let alone making it explicit”.
The article ‘Crafting strategy’ by Mintzberg (1988) represents the argument that strategy is deductive and not inductive, strategist recognise patterns and do not plan. To find a company strategy you can look at the interplay of the environment as well as the leadership and organisation of the company, Action leads to change and innovation, this in turn leads to strategy. Mintzberg (1987) sets out to compare the lone work of a potter to that of an organisation. Using this potter as a metaphor Mintzberg aims to demonstrate that both face the same strategic issues of being able to know their own capabilities well enough in order to formulate a ‘strategic direction’ through crafting.
To integrate the article into the wider debate of Strategy we must look at the two key schools of thought, that of deliberate strategy (planning) and emergent strategy (crafting). Having already identified Mintzberg’s (1978) article as a key piece of research in the field of emergent strategy, we can look to researchers such as Porter (1980) who can be noted for creating the five forces as well as Chandler who came up with some of the earliest explanations of deliberate strategy “ the